Is It Illegal To Kill Crows?

Hi,

try this

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:5CAHYIbF4qMJ:www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/wildbirdslaw/index.asp+wild+birds+and+the+law&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

S

Thank you!  Are there any exceptions that you know of?  She can't kill them just because they are a pest??  Just want to be doubly sure of my facts and find these acts hard going to read with the littlies interrupting me every 2 seconds!!

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects crows as well as all other wild birds in the UK. This means that it is illegal to take, injure or kill a crow, or to take, damage or destroy an active nest or its contents. There are one or two exceptions to this, notably prevention of serious agricultural damage and protection of public health. Single birds or small numbers of birds can only rarely be considered to be causing a problem in either situation. Before anyone resorts to lethal methods, the law requires that non-lethal methods should be tried first to resolve the conflict. I must add that nuisance of any kind, or damage to property, are not legal reasons to kill any bird, and the person doing it can end up in hot water over doing so. Anyone wanting to kill crows should first consult the relevant government department for the current terms and conditions of the 'general licence' as these special clauses in the law are called, in order to clarify whether the proposed action would be legal or not.

Peanuts, could you tell me why this friend of yours is wanting to kill crows? If I know the exact situation, I would be able to tell you whether the lethal option is open to her or not.

She has chickens and is experiencing lately a drop in numbers of eggs.  She has roll-away nest boxes.  She suspects crows as the culprit as she has seen the odd broken shell lying around and 2 dozen crows at the feeders.

Thanks so much for your help - greatly appreciated.

The general licence to prevent serious damage to agriculture does not extend to backyard chickens as far as I know, and so she needs to look at non-lethal solutions, assuming that it is the crows that are the problem.  It is far too easy to make two plus two read ten, and since there are many reasons why chickens may lay fewer eggs, she needs to investigate all possible causes, including external and internal chicken parasites, and other predators like rats, before fully laying the blame on the crows.

I would have thought it unlikely that crows would go into a chicken nesting box to take eggs - and even if they did, surely the chickens would make enough of a racket that this would have been noticed? Cageing in the bird food so that the crows cannot access it would take away the main reason why they are visiting her garden, and covering the chicken run with a wire mesh or other suitable taught netting would prevent birds access to the chicken laying boxes. If, having done these, the laying is still depressed, the crows can be fully exonerated. Even if the crows turned out to be a factor, it should be possible to manage the chickens in a way that keeps them and the crows separate without resorting to lethal methods.

Thank you.  This is why I worded it 'suspects'.  She hasn't actually caught them in the act.  And as they are free ranging all over her large property it is also possible that they are laying 'al fresco'!!!  I just wanted to be doubly sure of the facts before I replied to her which I have now done.  There is something else I would like to ask but don't want to put in on an open forum.  Is it possible to email someone direct for advice?

Thank you - have sent an email.

Just received a reply back that they CAN be killed under a general licence if they satisfy the rules. :-(